Information for Key Workers

20 March 2020

Dear Parent/Carer

As I am sure you are aware, yesterday the Government announced that all schools will be closed from Monday 23rd of March until further notice. This means that for the majority of our students, today will be their last day in school for what could be a considerable period of time. I hope you can understand and support the actions we are taking as a school, to play our part in helping our community tackle coronavirus and the significant impact it is having upon us all.

The Government has confirmed that for the foreseeable future, all schools have been asked to provide care for both key worker children and vulnerable children (a separate letter has been sent to any students identified as vulnerable under the government definition). All other children will need to stay at home, so we ask that you do not send your child into school from Monday onwards.

In order to enable key workers to remain at work during this period of need their children may be catered for in schools. Many parents working in these critical sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. Every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.

Key Workers include (please see the full definition at the end of this letter):

Health and social care

Education and childcare

Key public services

Local and national government

Food and other necessary goods

Public safety and national security

Transport

Utilities, communication and financial services

Please note that we will only be able to make provision for students who fall into the criteria listed above. There will be no exceptions. If you believe that you fall within the above key worker categories, please complete form below as soon as possible but no later than 7am on Monday 23 March.

Please be aware that those children who do attend will be undertaking the same learning activities as their peers who are working at home. The purpose of the school closure is to minimise contact and therefore we will be providing skeleton staffing to provide supervision and care for students who do attend.

Yours sincerely

M Tomkins

Headmaster

Key Worker Definitions

Health and social care

This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.

Education and childcare

This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.

Key public services

This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.

Local and national government

This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.

Food and other necessary goods

This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).

Public safety and national security

This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.

Transport

This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.

Utilities, communication and financial services

This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.

Within this Section

Ofsted (2019)

The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. School leaders’ and staff’s commitment to inclusive values, mutual support and consideration for others is reflected in pupils’ attitudes throughout the school.

The parents of a MGS leaver

This is to inform in writing although MGS is already aware; post GCSE result, our son has joined Welbeck, The Defence 6th Form College for his A Level Education.We are very thankful to Management Staff and Tutors of MGS for providing a top class secondary education for our son.

A New Year 7 parent

My son was skipping and jumping through the halls, and his excitement to show off his school and his lessons was very heart warming. He comes home daily with happy stories about his day at school.

Parent of a year 6 student

I'd like to send a quick note on behalf of my son, who attended the Brazil fair (Year 6 outreach event) yesterday. He had a great time and was so excited when he came home and couldn't stop talking about the amazing things that he did whilst at the school.

A visiting prospective parent

My husband and I wanted to send a message to say how very impressed we were with our guide on Thursday evening and what a wonderful ambassador he was for your school. His manners were impeccable and he conversed confidently and informatively with us both.

Parents of a new year 7 student

My son is in year 7 and was struggling with 2 heavy musical instruments, a school bag, his diabetes bag and his lunch bag this morning and I saw 2 sixth formers rush over to help him carry his bags. I just want to register my thanks.

Words from an Old Maidstonian

There is not a week which goes by even now without me thinking of the school with gratitude, and of its teachers who never gave up on me and allowed me a chance in life.

Ofsted (2019)

Behaviour is outstanding. Pupils’ conduct is excellent, and they show respect and care towards each other and adults.